Olivier concentrated as he continued to knock the ball up into the air. His solo passing drills were something he could do almost anywhere, and they were ideal when he just needed a reason to get some fresh air or get out of the house. In this case it was the latter. There was a very awkward family dinner he just didn't want to be a part of.

Usually when relatives came to visit Olivier was excited about it. Especially when it was his grandparents. Those visits were filled with loving hugs, delicious baked goods, and presents to spoil their grandchild. Whenever his cousin Felix and his wife Lila came to visit however… well, that was a different story.

There wasn't really much love between Adrien and Felix. The cousins met up as more of a formality than anything else. And his Marinette and Lila? They hardly even tried to hide the hostility they had for one another. The whole night just ended up being one tension filled night with cold back and forths, passive aggression, and awkwardness.

He'd made it a habit to sneak out, leave his phone behind, and go to some drills. If his mom asked him he'd say he just forgot his phone and got caught up in practice. She knew he was lying about it, but honestly she couldn't blame him. If she'd had a way to skip the entire night she would have too.

He still didn't quite know where all the animosity between them came from. Felix and Lila were… pleasant enough, towards him. But there was an undeniable dislike between them and his parents that nobody would fill him in on. Whenever he asked his dad about it he just said he wanted him to have his own opinion of Felix. And his mother just got this annoyed look on her face.

If it came between doing solo drills, and sitting in a very awkward tension filled dinner with passive aggressive comments being thrown all over the place, he'd pick solo drills hands down. He set the ball up again and got ready to catch it, when suddenly a hand reached up and plucked the ball from the air before he could get it.

"Long time no see, cousin."

Olivier's eyes went wide at the sound of the familiar voice. He looked over to see what could only be described as a younger version of his father, and a younger boy with a rather baby faced appearance standing alongside him. Dang it, he forgot Gordon and Helmut were likely to come too.

The oldest of them stepped forward, spinning the ball in his hands. "Playing out here by yourself are you? That looks pretty lonely. Have you not made any friends in Townsville yet?" he asked with an amused smirk. Even though it wasn't entirely his fault, Gordon really put Olivier off. He just… looked too much like his father.

Felix was different. It was more like a twin thing. But Gordon really did look like a younger… more sinister version of his father. The way his hair was all slicked back and how his smile seemed like it was hiding something behind it. It creeped him out.

The younger one giggled as he stepped up beside his brother. "I think he was trying to avoid us. Why else would he be out here all by himself?" he asked. Unlike his older brother, Helmut came off as much more innocent and sweet. Which made it even harder to tell just when he was going to stab you in the back.

Gordon was charming, but he made it clear right off the bat that he wasn't someone to mess with. Not by threatening you, but just by being him. Helmut caught you off guard by making you think he was just some adorable little kid, and then surprised you. They were a dangerous combination.

"Hey Gordon. Helmut. Just getting a little practice in. You can never be too good at receiving, right?" he asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

"I am!" Helmut said, running forward. "Give me the ball!"

Gordon sighed before throwing the ball towards his younger brother. "Such a show off."

Olivier was about to tell him that it wasn't so easy to pull off drills like that, but the moment Helmut made contact with the ball he stopped himself. He bounced it up and down in the air, switching position just as easily as Olivier had. His control was pretty much impeccable. "Whoa… you're pretty good at that."

Gordon walked up beside him. "Well, that's hardly surprising is it? Everyone in the Graham de Vanily family has talent. So even if he wasn't a libero I doubt he'd have much trouble with such a simple drill."

Olivier looked at him surprised. "Wait, he's a libero?" he asked before looking back towards Helmut. "You play volleyball?"

The boy nodded as he caught the ball. "Uh-huh. It looked really fun when you were playing so me and big bro decided to give it a try," he said.

Olivier looked back towards Gordon who shrugged. "We're men of many talents. But I do admit I find quite a lot of fun in this quaint little sport. I see why you like it so much."

He wasn't sure that he liked how his cousin used the word 'quaint', but he decided to ignore it for now. "Well, I'm glad you're having fun. What position do you play?" It was weird thinking that they both played volleyball now, but not shocking. They got into a number of different activities, and Gordon in particular excelled in them all.

Chess, basketball, swimming. They'd even done some modeling together in the past. It seemed like anything his cousin put his mind to he was excellent at. He doubted volleyball could be the exception. "Well I can play just about any position, but I prefer to be a setter. Me being able to control the flow of our offense just seems best for everyone," he said casually.

Somehow that didn't surprise Olivier…

"I bet you're both amazing at it. Maybe when we visit you in London we could see you guys play sometime."

"Oh, you won't have to go that far. In fact I think you might be getting the chance to see me play much sooner than you think," Gordon said. Olivier looked confused, while Helmut just chuckled. "We're going to be staying here for a while as part of an exchange student program. So we may be playing against one another."

Olivier once again went wide eyed. "You're going to be here?! Like where?! What school?!" he asked in disbelief.

"One you've played before I think. Citiesville."

Maybe he was being paranoid, but Olivier didn't think that the fact that he was attending his school's biggest rivals was a coincidence. "Yeah, we played them before. Beat them in two straight sets," Olivier said.

"Not too surprising I suppose. But do keep in mind that with us there things are likely to play out a little differently next time," he said as Helmut tossed him the ball. He spun it around in his hands. "There's still another spot open in our district for nationals, so we'll probably be seeing you there. It'll be a well earned victory I'm sure."

Olivier smirked back at him. "Little too early to be counting it as a victory, don't you think?" he asked. "I mean, I'm sure it'll be a good game. But if you think you're in for a surefire win, you might walk away a little upset. My team are no pushovers."

Felix laughed. "I'm sure they aren't. I didn't mean to offend or anything. It's just… well, to the Graham de Vanily family winning is like breathing. So you'll excuse me if I get a little ahead of myself," he said, waving his hand. "But we are going to win. It's as simple as that."

Helmut spoke up next, turning around and pointing towards the house. "We should go inside and eat now, I'm hungry. And auntie Marinette said she was making some of those french things I like."

"Macaroons?"

"Yeah, those thingies."

He turned and ran towards the house, and Olivier followed after him, sharing a quick glance with Gordon as he passed by. His cousin simply smiled back and watched him go. When he was out of ear shot, something inside of Gordon's shirt pocket moved. A tiny figure popped out of it, preaching itself on his shoulder.

"So that's your cousin huh? He's so… sweet. It's sickening."

"I know," Gordon said, shaking his head. "It's a shame. He has all the talent of his father's side of the family, but none of the attitude."

"I don't like him. Should we work some of our magic?"

"Don't bother Corvus, he's not worth the effort. Besides, the guardian doesn't need any more reason to come knocking on our door."

He began following after his cousin and brother as the figure made its way back into his pocket. Whether it was volleyball, being a hero, or anything else, he didn't intend to let his cousin stay ahead. Or anyone else for that matter.

He was a Graham de Vanily, which meant talent, success, and victory coursed through his veins.

A/N: A new challenger approaches! I've had this character planned out for a while now! A rival for Olivier on and off the court! But is everything as it appears?! Just how did he get his hands on Corvus?! We'll find out eventually!

Helmut was a character I decided to whip up on a whim, and there's one more character I have planned to round out the group. (I have another planned for later but I figure I could hold off a bit) Let me know what you guys think!